New India Literacy Program

About the New India Literacy Program

• A scheme of the Ministry of Education that aims to promote literacy among non-literates in the age group of 15 and above across the country. It aims to cover 5 crore non-literates during the period from 2022-23 to 2026-27. 
• Centrally Sponsored Scheme with contributions from both Centre and State governments. It will replace the SAKSHAR Bharat scheme for adult education. 

Components of the New India Literacy Program

• Foundational Literacy and Numeracy 
• Critical Life Skills: These will include financial literacy, digital literacy, commercial skills, health awareness, childcare and family welfare education. 
• Vocational Skills Development: For increasing employment potential. 
• Basic Education: Includes preparatory, middle and secondary stage equivalency. 
• Continuing Education: Includes engaging holistic adult education courses in arts, sciences, technology, culture, sports and recreation and other topics of interest or use to local learners. 

Salient Features of the New India Literacy Program

• Volunteerism: The scheme is mainly based on volunteerism for teaching and learning. Volunteers can also register through a mobile app for this purpose. Involvement of school students, pre-service students of Higher Education Institutions, school teachers, Anganwadi and ASHA workers, NYKS, NSS and NCC volunteers. To implement volunteerism through online mode. However, training, orientation, and workshops for volunteers, may be organized through face-to-face mode. 
• Priority to saturation in literacy: The age cohort of 15- 35 will be saturated first followed by ages 35 and above. Priority is to be given to girls and women, SC/ST/OBC/Minorities, Persons with special needs/Nomadic/Construction workers etc. who can substantially and immediately benefit from adult education. 
• School to be a unit for implementation of the scheme. Schools are to be used for conducting surveys of beneficiaries and voluntary teachers (VTs). 
• Use of ICT and online implementation of the scheme through Online Teaching Learning and Assessment System (OTLAS) 
• All Material and resources through digital modes – TV, Radio, Cell phone-based free/open-source apps, portals etc. 
• Assessment tests to be conducted in schools by State/UTs and evaluation of learners by NIOS/SIOS. Assessment on demand through OTLAS and generation of e-certificates. 
• Sample achievement survey 
• Performance Grading Index (PGI) for States/UTs and district level to show achievement in the implementation of the scheme giving weight to both physical and financial progress through the UDISE portal. 
• The phrase ‘Education for All’ will be used in place of ‘Adult Education’ by the Ministry of Education as ‘Adult Education’ does not appropriately capture all non-literates more than 15 years of age.
• The teaching-learning material and resources have been made available on the DIKSHA platform of NCERT and can be accessed through mobile apps.  
• Further, other modes like TV, Radio, Samajik Chetna Kendra etc. are also to be used for the dissemination of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy.

Beneficiary identification method

• The beneficiaries under the scheme are identified through a door-to-door survey on Mobile App by the surveyors in the States/UTs. 
• The non-literate can also avail of the benefit of the scheme through direct registration from any place through the mobile app. 
• All non-literate above 15 years of age can avail the benefits of the scheme.